William "Bill" Thomas Uhls

William Thomas Uhls,”Bill”, of Austin, Texas passed away at home after a long battle with Parkinson’s on Wednesday August 8, 2024 at the age of 84. Bill was born on April 5, 1940 in Greenwood, Indiana.

Bill graduated from Southport High School, class of 1958. He attended Purdue University, then entered the US Air Force as an Aviation Cadet, and went on to graduate from Officers Candidate School as a 2nd Lieutenant, Bill was a Navigator on the B-52 Bomber. He served in Vietnam as a Forward Air Controller in the OV-10 , he flew the F-4, O-2 and OA-37 throughout his career. After 24 years of service, he retired with the rank of Lt Colonel from the US Air Force in 1984 and he and Pat made Austin, Texas home.

In his years of service, Bill earned the Distinguished Flying Cross with a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal with eleven Oakleaf Clusters, among many others. He was a member of the Daedalians-a Fellowship for military aviators.

After retiring from the US Air Force, Bill worked in the Commercial Banking Industry until retiring in 1996.

Bill and the love of his life, best friend and wife Patricia Ann Berry Uhls, were married for 62 years. They loved to travel the world, go on cruises, play golf, and were always looking for couples to play bridge or poker. He had an incredible memory with cards, he claims it’s just math. Bill was an avid stamp collector, beginning as a Boy Scout, a history buff and a lifetime member of the American Philatelic Society. He was an active member of the Onion Creek Golf club and served on the board of several non-profit organizations. Bill was a Docent at the Texas History Museum and a US history expert. Bill loved to spend time with his son and spent several years with him building an RV-7 airplane. Bill kept a picture of the plane in his wallet and was always willing to talk to anyone about it and brag about how proud he was of Keith. Anything that his son Keith did, he was all in. From swimming, getting up at 5 am to take him to practice, to aviation helping him build an airplane. He wanted to be a part of it. He followed him on his daily flights as an airline pilot and was always his “co-pilot” on all his flights. When he came home to visit he would want to know all about the trip and get a debrief. Now he is his guardian angel and check pilot.

Bill was preceded in death by his father D Haskell Uhls and mother, Helen Louise Uhls.

He is survived by his wife, Pat, son, Keith Thomas Uhls (Dan). His three sisters who he loved dearly Linda Rollins (Mike), Elizabeth Uhls and Nancy Burk (Russ). Plus many nieces and nephews.

Pat and Keith would like to thank the staff at Enhabit Health Care Hospice and Right at Home for the care and compassion they showed Bill in his final days.

Family and friends are invited to attend a Celebration of Life Sunday August 18th from 5-8 pm. Cook-Walden Forest Oaks, 6300 William Cannon Dr., Austin, Tx 78749

Interment will be Monday, August 19 at 2:30 pm at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, 1520 Wurzbach Rd, San Antonio Tx 78209. Look for shelter #4, we recommend an arrival of 2:15pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Bill’s honor to: The Bob Bullock Texas History Museum in his name. https://www.tshmf.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.tshmf.org/ (https://www.tshmf.org/) or a charity of your choice.